Chapter 15 Flashcards
The molecules carrying the body’s genetic information; is double stranded in the shape of a double helix
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
A rodlike structure in the cell nucleus, along which the genes are located; it is composed of DNA surrounded by other material, mainly proteins
Chromosome
A substance composed of a large number of atoms; these atoms are usually arranged in repeating units, or monomers
Polymer
The unit of DNA consisting of one of four bases - adenine, guanine, cytosine, or thymine - attached to a phosphate-sugar group
Nucleotide
The specific pairing of base A with T and base G with C in double-stranded DNA
Complementary base pairing
Polymers of amino acids that play basic roles in the structures and functions of living things
Proteins
The building blocks of proteins; there are twenty common amino acids; are linked to form a protein; the types of amino acids and the order in which they’re linked determine the character of each protein
Amino acids
The total DNA content found within the nucleus of a human cell; it is composed of approximately three billion base pairs of genetic information
Human genome
The synthesis of new DNA from existing DNA
Replication
A technique for replicating or copying a portion of a DNA strand outside a living cell; this technique leads to millions of copies of the DNA strand
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
A region of a chromosome that contains multiple copies is a core DNA sequence that are arranged in a repeating fashion
Tandem repeat
A short strand of DNA used to target a region of DNA for replication by PCR
Primer
The process of joining two complementary strands of DNA to form a double-stranded molecule
Hybridization
Different fragment lengths of base pairs that result from cutting a DNA molecule with restriction enzymes
Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs)
A technique for separating molecules through their migration on a support medium while under the influence of an electrical potential
Electrophoresis
A region of a DNA molecule that contains short segments consisting of three to seven repeating base pairs
Short tandem repeat (STR)
A technique that simultaneously detects more than one DNA marker in a single analysis
Multiplexing
A genetic locus useful for determining gender
Amelogenin gene
Short tandem repeats located in the human Y chromosome
Y-STRs
Small structures located outside the nucleus of a cell; these structures supply energy to the cell; maternally found DNA is found here
Mitochondria
A procedure used to determine the order of the base pairs that constitute DNA
Sequencing
One-trillionth of a gram, or 0.000000000001 gram
Picogram
Fewer than 18 DNA-bearing cells
Low copy number
The outer layer of skin cells; these DNA-bearing cells often fall off or are rubbed onto objects retrieved from crime scenes
Epithelial cells
